


The Tiger's Flower

by Youknowwhattheycallher



Category: Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Light Spanking, Oral Sex, Sex, Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:28:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23605315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Youknowwhattheycallher/pseuds/Youknowwhattheycallher
Summary: He should stay away from her. He knows better. But he's the moth to her flame. And they keep running into each other damnit.
Relationships: Poppy/Julri, Poppy/Tora
Comments: 38
Kudos: 210





	1. Beef with the Boy

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic and it's not beta-read, so pls be gentle with the constructive criticism! I'm always looking to improve and open to your thoughts. This starts after FP ep 27 so if you don't have fast pass, SPOILERS up ahead :) Thanks for reading uwu.

Tora was known for a few things in the clan, being a giant, stoic beast, smoking a lot, and being a really bad driver. It's not that he got into accidents often. It's that he didn't really care about his safety enough to drive the speed limit. But now he was carrying precious cargo. Now he had a small, cute-as-shit flower in his front seat he needed to make sure wouldn't be damaged. He tried to focus on the road and maintain 15-above the speed limit (he wasn't a saint ok?), but his eyes kept dragging back to her now-sticky, wet hair and the pale, white thighs exposed from under her skirt. He gripped the steering wheel harder and refocused.

_Get your shit together. She’s just a girl…_

Their grocery store run was cut short when Poppy threw herself at Tora to hug him after her call with Mr. Lam, resulting in Tora spitting out his strawberry juice all over her. She now sat in his front seat with wet hair and a sticky chest as the juice ran down her hair and into her shirt. 

_Shit. Erdene’s going to kill me for ruining her nice shirt. I hope I can get the stain out. Maybe I can buy her a new one if this wasn’t too expensive? Ha. Who am I kidding. Unless she was buying her business clothes from the local thrift store, I won’t be able to afford a replacement._

Poppy used every ounce of her willpower not to blatantly stare at his thick, colored forearms, strong jaw, and wide chest as he drove her back home. But she couldn’t help herself and snuck a peek or two or three. She noticed on her third glance his grip tightened on the wheel. When she looked up at his face, he caught her staring and smirked. Her stomach clenched and she whipped her head back to the road.

_Smooth, Poppy. You’re not creepy at all. Why was he smirking? That jerk. And why was that smirk so hot? Mega jerk._

When she whipped her head back, Tora indulged in a glance at her chest, noticing the juice hadn’t dried and the sheer material clung to her. He remembered the sight of her when he had accidentally spit his juice all over her. The beads of the liquid dripped off the ends of her hair and onto her chest. He remembered following one drop of juice trail down her cleavage as it disappeared beneath her shirt. She was fussing about her hair when Tora was finally pulled out of his revelry by an angry hamster.

“Tora! Hello! Tora! I’m all sticky. We need to get home ASAP so I can wash my hair and soak this shirt!”  
“Uh ya. Sure. Whatever.”

_

When Poppy got home, she immediately went into the bathroom to strip down and started the shower. As steam filled the air, Poppy stepped into the shower and let the water rinse her hair. She thought she caught Tora staring at her chest after he spit out his juice, which she had to admit turned her on. She began lathering soap into her hair and dragged her hands down to her chest to wash away the sticky feeling. She started massaging her breasts, rolling her nipples within her fingers. She imagined Tora’s large hands massaging her breasts and pinching her nipples in his thick fingers. Her right hand moved involuntarily lower until she reached her pubic bone when she remembered that she had a giant gang member in her living room. She finished up in the shower and started drying off. _Another time. When I don’t have a dangerous, tattooed thug in my living room. But.. he’s not a thug is he? He did spend his whole day helping me follow Mr. Lam. Then he used his resources to find his location for her._ She quickly dried off and stepped into a pair of shorts and a plain shirt.

As Poppy walked out, towel in hand, still drying her hair, Tora’s eyes drank in every inch of her legs all the way up to her shorts, hugging her hips and promising soft curves underneath. He noticed her shirt teasing a healthy amount of cleavage and his cock twitched. _Am I a fucking teenager? Down boy. We’ll play later. First, I’ve got a job to finish._ Disciplined as ever, work came first. He had to find those papers and get out of her life.

“There that’s better. I’m all clean and I’ve got the shirt soaking. Now I can cook dinner for us. Unfortunately, because you don’t know how to drink juice, all I have is beef and miso soup so I’ll have to make do.”  
“I don’t know how to drink juice? You’re the one who threw yaself at me.”  
“I did not throw myself at you! I hugged you! It’s a perfectly normal display of excitement amongst humans.”  
“Oh? Did I get ya excited?”  
Poppy blushed tomato red, “No! I just meant- um, that I uh was h-happy about the phone call that’s all.”  
“Uh huh. Sure, kid.”

_Damnit there’s that smirk again. Alright, Poppy focus. Make dinner, eat, get the picture deleted. Easy._

She walked into the kitchen and began sorting out what she already had in her fridge. Luckily she had already put her beef in a marinade two days ago, so it was perfectly seasoned already. It was enough for her but she was sure Tora would end up hungry. _He can just have some of mine. He’s huge, so I’m sure he has an appetite to match._ She set about chopping up scallions as the beef sizzled away on the pan and the miso heated up. She made some white rice and when the beef was done, started plating up the food.

“Dinner’s ready!”

 _Shit._ He muttered under his breath and took one last look around her bedroom for the bag she was carrying that day and reluctantly walked back towards the living room. When he got back, the smell wiped his caveman brain clean of any thoughts other than meat. “Smells good. Ya didn’t poison it did ya?”

“Certainly not! See?” She showed him her cooking was perfectly safe and took a bite of beef.  
“Alright, alright, don’t eat all the food. I’m starvin’.”

They sat in relatively comfortable silence for a bit as Tora scarfed down his food. _Jeez, you’d think he’d never had a home cooked meal before._ Poppy smirked at the thought of Tora enjoying her food when she heard her phone buzzing on the table. When she looked over to see who was calling, she paled when the caller ID showed a picture of Julri and her. It was the selfie he took of them when they had gone to the fair together. She didn’t want to be photographed that day but he insisted and got a pretty good shot of her cleavage from the angle he took the picture. He had a lazy half-grin on his face and she looked uncomfortable.

Tora had looked over at her phone when it started buzzing and saw the picture before Poppy could flip the phone. His food settled like a rock in his stomach when he saw how tense she looked next to that sleazy jackass. Her smile was tight-lipped and she looked stiff as a board. “Ya gonna get that? Looked important.” He didn’t look at her but looked back down at his food, suddenly less hungry and a lot angrier.

“No. That’s my ex-boyfriend. I don’t want to speak with him right now.”   
With every word, Tora could tell she was getting angrier. “What’d he do to ya?”  
“I caught him cheating on me.” She was practically vibrating now.  
Tora’s eyebrows furrowed. “Want me to kick his ass for ya?”  
Poppy giggled at that but stopped when she looked up and saw he was dead serious. “Um, no that’s okay. Thanks.” She went back to her food when her phone stopped ringing. She flipped it back over when she heard the _bzz-bzz_ of a text message. It was from Julri. The preview of the text made her choke on her rice.

_Babe. Will you please call me back? We need to talk._

Tora was getting annoyed when he heard the text come in. He got more annoyed when he saw the same name who called her had now texted her. He almost broke his chopsticks when Poppy wouldn’t stop looking at her phone after she choked on her rice. “What is it?” Something he said was taking her attention away from him and it was pissing him off.

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” She stood up and took their now empty plates to the kitchen. She placed them in the sink and braced her hands on the counter, taking deep breaths to fight away the tears that were starting to pool in her eyes. _Damnit. Why did he have to call? What the hell does he want? Seeing his name on my phone just brings back those memories. Why would he reach out to me if he already found someone prettier that would give him what he wants?_

Poppy didn’t notice Tora had followed her into the kitchen and stood in the doorway as she took deep, steadying breaths. _This fucker really got to her. I’m gonna kill him. How dare he do anything to upset his cute little hamster?_ He stepped forward and cleared his throat. Poppy turned back around and seeing Tora made her lose all composure. She let a tear roll down her cheek and when Tora lifted his hand to wipe it away, she broke into a full on sob. Tora pulled her into his chest and pat the back of her head. I’m going hunting tomorrow.

After a while, Poppy managed to calm down enough that her sobs became shallow breaths. She looked up at Tora and golden eyes met brown ones. He looked down at her swollen lips, desperate to taste them. She inched forward on her tiptoes and the second she did so, Tora met her lips with his. His kiss started out soft and gentle. He pulled away and looked at her, his expression asking her if she was sure. She went back in to kiss him but this time harder. Her mouth crushed his. Tora was taken aback at her abrasiveness but quickly regained composure and kissed her back with equal fervor. His tongue licked her lips, probing. She opened her lips and his tongue plunged in, searching hers. He lifted her up by her waist and she instinctively wrapped her legs around him. He moved to her neck and began sucking at her neck furiously. “Bed. Please.” She managed through moans.

He moved them to her bedroom but before placing her on the bed, pulled back and asked, “are ya sure about this?”

Poppy looked at him head on. “Absolutely.”

Tora growled and kissed her again. He set her down on the bed and crawled over her. He pulled the base of her shirt up and over her head, exposing her lacy bra. He groaned and pulled one cup down with a single finger, exposing her milky white breast and pert nipple. He latched his mouth onto her nipple and rolled it with his tongue while his hand played with her other nipple through the fabric of her bra. Poppy moaned and threw her head back. She looked down to see Tora gazing back at her, her nipple in his bared teeth. He moved to her other breast to give it equal attention.

He kissed her breast and reared up, massaging them with his hands, “God, ya tits are perfect.” He dove back down to kiss her breasts one last time before traveling lower. He nipped along her hip bones and slipped his hands under the waistband of her shorts. He looked up and waited. Poppy gasped when she looked down and moaned, “Oh please Tora.”

“Patience, baby. I’ll take good care of ya.” He pulled her shorts down and off her completely. He took his time coming back up, kissing the inside of her left ankle. Dragging his tongue along her calf, he kissed the inside of her knee. Poppy writhed under him and he smirked. He looked up and growled at the sight of a wet spot forming on her black lace panties. He switched legs and kissed her right thigh, moving towards her pussy. When he finally got to his destination, he used his teeth to pull her panties down.

Poppy nearly combusted at the sight of Tora between her legs, with her panties in his mouth. She wiggled closer to him and he chuckled. “I think you need to learn patience, Bobby. That’ll be a lesson for another time. For now, ask and you shall receive.” It took Poppy a second to realize he was being literal and was waiting for her to ask. _Another time? Oh boy, I hope there’s another time. Wait what did he say?_

“Please, Tora! I want you.”  
“What do you want, Bobby?”  
Poppy threw her hands to her face, embarrassed. “I want you to kiss me there.”  
“Hey.” He said a little more forcefully than he intended, “don’t hide from me. You’re beautiful and sexy as fuck. Own it.” He pulled her wrists away from her face. “Watch me.”

He ducked his head between her legs and licked her core up to her clit with a flat tongue. When he reached her clit, he flicked the bud back and forth, flexing the tip of his tongue. He kept his eyes on her to make sure she was watching. Her eyes were half-lidded and filled with lust. Her lips were swollen from their kiss and slightly opened as she panted underneath him. Satisfied she would continue watching, Tora plunged deeper into her with his tongue and began licking fervently in her channel.

He moved back up to her clit and slipped a finger inside of her. He worked her with his single digit as Poppy bucked against his hand. He slipped his second finger inside and she bucked harder, moaning his name. Tora was drunk on her scent and the sound of his name on her lips. He flicked her clit furiously with his tongue and pumped his fingers in and out of her faster with every time she called out his name. Tora was rock solid but somehow he managed to get harder as she clenched down on his fingers and called out, “Oh Toraaaaaa!”

He pumped his fingers in her as she rode out her climax. After her last wave of ecstasy, she looked at him with sex-drunk eyes as he lifting his two fingers that were just inside her to his lips and licked them clean. _Holy shit did he just do that? What the hell, that’s so hot._ He stood up from the bed and pulled her up by her wrist so she was standing in front of him. Her eyes widened at the sight of his cock bobbing at her belly with his movement. She licked her lips and looked up at him. “Get on your knees.”

This was not a request. Poppy saw his eyebrow lift in a challenge when she didn’t move instantly as daring her to defy him. She sunk to her knees and eyed him nervously. She thought she was up to the challenge but when she got closer to his cock, she started second guessing herself. _Oh god. He’s huge. Will he fit in my mouth? Will he fit… in me??_ She steeled her resolve and gripped his cock at the base. Her slender fingers made him look even bigger. She licked his dick from the base to the tip, all while looking at Tora through her lashes. He hissed through his teeth and tilted his head back. The sight of her like that almost made him come.

She sucked the head of his cock and swirled her head around his tip. She took him about a third of the way into her mouth. She bobbed back up and swirled her tongue around his head one more time. When she took him in her mouth again she took as much of him as she could. He hit the back of her throat but when he looked down, he was only about two thirds of the way in her mouth. He growled and grabbed her hair, pulling it out of the way into a ponytail he fisted at the back of her head. He tried not to thrust into her mouth, giving her time to adjust. “That’s it, baby. Breathe through your nose. Take me just like that.”

Poppy bobbed on her head on his cock a couple more times, Tora thrusting lightly into her mouth. Eventually, it became too much and Tora had to pull himself off of her before he finished too soon. The last thing he wanted was to cut their fun short. She frowned at the loss of him but quickly got over it as he pulled her up by her hair and kissed her hard. His tongue pushed into her mouth and wrestled with hers, caressing it.

He pulled back and pushed her onto the bed. She landed with a soft thump and bounced as she looked up at him. His mouth slightly opened, panting, drinking her body in. Her blush filled her cheeks and colored her chest under his intense gaze. He crawled on top of her and moved his cock to her entrance. He rubbed his head along her core and placed himself at her entrance. “Ya want this, Bobby? Ya want this big cock in ya?”

“Oh, yes please, Tora. Please!”  
“Beg for it.” He stroked her from core to clit with his head.  
“Please Tora, give it to me. Please!”

That’s all he needed to hear. He slipped his head into her slowly, letting her acclimate to his size. She gasped as he entered her and started panting harder. He sunk into her slower up to his hilt, and rested there for a moment until she relaxed around him. He hissed and felt her warm, velvet walls deliciously clench around him. When he was satisfied she was ready for him to move, he began to really move. Thrusting into her at a deliciously slow rhythm. Slowly pulling out, then plunging back in. He kept this pace up and Poppy began meeting him thrust for thrust. She lifted her arms above her head, fisting the pillows in her hands. “Oh god, y-yesss, Tora. Harder. Harder!” Tora was more than happy to oblige. He lifted her leg over his shoulder and picked up a punishing rhythm. The sound of skin slapping skin made Poppy wetter around him.

“Come on, Pops. Come for me. Clench that pretty pussy around me. Lose yaself, baby.”  
“Oh Tora, I’m so close. Fuck, Tora, I’m close!”  
Tora slapped her ass and yelled, “come on, baby! Come for me! Come!”

Poppy threw her head back and closed her eyes as she came around him. “Look at me! I want to see you.” Tora demanded as she threw her head back. Poppy whipped her eyes back to him and met his intense gaze. “Come inside me, Tora.” His rhythm faltered at that and he blinked at her, “Wha-?”

“I’m on birth control. Please come inside me, daddy.”

Tora lost all control and spilled himself in her and thrust into her a couple more times as her walls milked him. Fuck, she’s so tight. Her pussy is sucking me dry. I might die here. He grunted on his last thrust and nipped at her collar bone. He remained inside her as she began combing her fingers through his hair, his head resting on her chest. He looked up at her with a lazy smile that was quickly replaced with a frown when he realized she was crying. “What happened? What’s wrong? Are ya hurt? Bobby, I’m so sorry if I went too far. I didn’t mean-”

“No, no! It’s not that! Honest, I just got overwhelmed. That was mind blowing.”  
Content he didn’t hurt her, he let himself glow at her praise. With a sly smirk he asked, “mind blowing huh?”  
“Mhmm,” she murmured with a shy nod.

Proud he was the cause of her pleasure and her ridiculous grin, he rested his head on her chest again and let himself be soothed by her fingers in his hair. He hadn’t felt this cared for after sex in a long time.. Or ever now that he thought about it. He knew he shouldn’t be here. He knew he shouldn’t have let it get this far to begin with. If she falls for him, she’s fucked. He was already a goner but if she gets feelings, she’ll be a liability and at constant risk. But he was selfish and convinced himself that he would be able to protect her from anything. Even the Balthumans. So, he lay his head on her perfect tits and accidentally drifted off.


	2. To Forgive or Not to Forgive?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not good at summaries but here goes..
> 
> Did Poppy misjudge Tora? Or is he really the rude gangbanger he came off as?

Poppy was warm. Too warm. It was getting hard to breathe too. She opened one eye and was met with a dark mass of hair in her face. Tora had wrapped himself around her like a vine in his sleep, his head still resting on her chest. She twisted her head around to get a better look at his face. He looked so peaceful with his usually scowling face relaxed and he was letting out little _pahs_ as he exhaled. He looked soft and Poppy had to stifle a giggle. _Maybe Alice was right. This enormous, scary behemoth was actually a soft, fragile man wanting to be held. Wholesome._

She began ever so slowly trying to untangle herself, trying her best not to wake him up. Something told her he didn’t sleep this soundly often, and it would be a shame to wake up such a beautiful man. But nature called and she couldn’t hold it anymore. She managed to slip out to the bathroom, grabbing her shorts and shirt off the floor along the way, and tended to her business. When she looked at herself in the mirror she blushed. Her hair was a mess, more so than usual when she woke up. _Sex hair._ She brushed her teeth and just as she was rinsing her mouth out, she heard a scream coming from her bedroom.

“No! Don’t touch her!” She rushed back to see what was the cause and saw Tora reaching out to the spot she had vacated not too long before, fingers grasping at the sheets and arms flailing about. Poppy ran over and grabbed him by the shoulders, “Tora, it’s okay. It’s just a nightmare. Tora, wake up, you’re safe.”

He shot up and grabbed her tiny wrists. Poppy yelped at his grip. She swore she heard a crack. His eyes searched wildly around until they rested on her, the fog of his dream lifting as he implored her eyes. “Tora, you’re hurting me.” Tora released her hands immediately and grabbed her by the shoulders, roaming her body for any injuries. _Bodyguard mode on._

“Fuck, you’re okay? You left.”  
“Erm, I had to pee..”  
Tora’s lips set into a firm line. I always have nightmares. But not last night. I was fine until she left. The fuck is up with that? “Let me see ya wrists. Ya okay?”

He grabbed her hands more gingerly this time, turning her hands over in his so her palms were facing up. He ran his thumbs over her the inside of her wrists, sending a shiver up Poppy’s spine. He leaned down and kissed her right wrist tenderly. Poppy couldn’t take her eyes off of him. _He’s so gentle. How does he go from burly brute to tender kissing so quickly?_ He quickly dropped her hands and looked away embarrassed. 

He cleared his throat, “I should get goin’.” Poppy was crestfallen, “Oh. I was going to make us breakfast.” Tora looked back at her, seeing her big, sad eyes at the thought of him leaving and the thought of maybe getting one more round in after breakfast was too enticing to pass up. “Breakfast? What’d’ya have in mind?”

“I was thinking pancakes! I have a couple of strips of bacon and some eggs, too. I’m sure you want more than just some pancakes.”  
“Oh, I know what I want to eat.” Poppy almost exploded at the look he gave her. It was the same one he gave her last night while his head was between her thighs.  
“Oh! Um, well, uh-”  
“Come on, wench. Make me breakfast.” He gave her a smart smack on her ass and got out of bed.

Poppy giggled and followed him up. She made her way to the kitchen and started pulling the eggs and bacon out of the fridge. Tora had gone to the bathroom and came back to find her ass waggling in the air as she searched the fridge for ingredients. His cock twitched and so did his lips as he sauntered over and leaned over the fridge door. “Are ya doin’ that on purpose? ‘Cause it’s workin’.” Poppy stood up so fast she dropped the carton of milk in her arms as she juggled the bacon, eggs, and strawberries. Tora caught it before it even reached her hip. _Woah. That was fast._

She set the ingredients in her arms on the counter and Tora came up behind her to set the milk down on her right. “Thanks.” She could feel his body heat radiating off him as she stood over her, right hand on the counter by her hip. He dipped to whisper in her left ear, “I’m on to ya.”

“On to w-what?”  
“Ya tryin’ to seduce me.”  
“I am not! I’m making breakfast.”  
“Uh huh, sure.”  
“Why don’t you make yourself useful and grab the flour out of that cupboard over there. It’s on the top shelf.”

Tora released her from the cage his body made and walked over to the cupboard she was talking about. Poppy looked over at his tight ass in his low-hung jeans. She noticed he hadn’t put his shirt back on and was memorizing the tattoos that covered his shoulder blades. She almost drooled at the sight of his back muscles flexing as he reached up to grab the flour. When he turned around, she whipped her head back to the eggs and bacon before so he wouldn’t know she was staring. She set about making breakfast while Tora watched.

She was so efficient with her tasks. She usually seemed kind of all over the place to him, but he noticed when she was in the kitchen, every movement had a purpose. She had the bacon sizzling on the pan while she whisked the flour, eggs, and milk together for the pancake batter. When the bacon had turned a dark, rich brown she took them out of the pan and set them on a plate with a paper towel. He reached over to steal a slice as she poured batter into the greased up skillet. Poppy was fast though, and whacked his hand with the ladle.

“Hey! Wait til it’s all ready!” He managed to slip one out and pop it into his mouth with one of his signature smirks. “Out! I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

“Ya kicking me out? For what?”  
“Get your grubby fingers out of my bacon and out of my kitchen! You’ll wait until it’s ready.”  
He walked behind her and grabbed her tiny waist. She stilled as he whispered into her ear, “Are ya sure ya wanna kick me out? I promise I’ll behave.”  
“I d-doubt you’ve ever b-behaved a day in your life.” 

Poppy was starting to give in as he hummed in her ear. _Don’t let him win. Show him who’s boss in this kitchen._ She pushed her hips back into his groin, turned her head to look at him. She gave him a look she hoped was sexy and in her sultriest voice said, “Tora?” 

“Mhmm?”

“Shoo.” She turned back to her pancake and flipped it, revealing a perfectly even, golden brown pancake. Tora took a step back and his eyebrows shot up. _Little spitfire. This hamster’s got balls. Alright. I’ll play her game…_ Tora thought about giving her ass another smack when he realized _I shouldn’t be playing any games with her. I shouldn’t have stayed this long. The longer I’m here the more she’s in danger._ Tora took another step back and walked back to the bedroom to find his shirt. He’d stay for breakfast since she was almost done and the smell was making his stomach growl. But after that, he’d leave. He’d find another way to get the bag and the papers. Soon.

“Alright, Mr. Grubby Fingers. Breakfast is served!”

Tora walked back into the kitchen and saw the table had been set up with two stacks of pancakes, two for Poppy and seven for him, along with a plate of bacon and a mountain of eggs. _Fuck, I gotta leave all of this? Yes. I do. It’s for her own good._ He sat down and tucked into the pancakes, only coming up to snag a slice of bacon and crunch down. He got about half way through the pancakes when he started shoveling eggs into his mouth. He noticed Poppy had stopped eating and was just staring at him, “What?”

“You eat a lot.”  
“Only when it’s this good.”  
Poppy beamed at his praise and finished her eggs, leaving a pancake untouched, she set her fork down. “Ya gonna finish that?” Poppy pushed her plate towards him and let him finish. When he had mopped up the last of his maple syrup with his last bite of pancake, Poppy asked, “So, will you delete that picture now?”

Tora stopped mid-chew and eyed her, contemplating his answer. “Not yet.” Poppy huffed, “why not? Look, I don’t know what you want from me but I think after last night I deserve a little more respect and you should delete that picture!”

“Nah.”  
She huffed louder, “ugh, what more do you want from me! I’ve cooked for you twice now!”

Tora played with the idea of torturing her some more, the angrier she got the more amused he was. The sound of her phone in the other room drew her attention away. “We’re not done here.” She stood up to find her phone and left Tora to clean up the table. He grabbed the plates and deposited them in the sink, following behind her. When he caught up with her, she was looking at her phone, tears welling up again. _Fuck, if it’s her shitty ex-boyfriend making her cry again I’ll break his thumbs and shove them so far up his ass he tastes them so he never texts her again._ “Pops? Who is it?”

“Listen Tora, I don’t have time for your games okay. Just delete the picture and go. I have too much on my plate for another jerk to be jerking me around.”  
Tora narrowed his eyes at her, “Fine. I’ll delete the picture.”

He yanked his phone out of his pocket and smashed the screen with his thumb. He turned the screen towards her and she saw him press the trash can icon on the photo of her. “There. It’s gone.” He turned around and started towards the door. He paused with his hand on the door handle when he heard her start to sob. He knew if he turned back now, he’d never leave her. Instead, he turned the doorknob and slammed it shut on his way out. Her sobs muffled through the door, Tora took a deep breath in and exhaled. _Way to go, ya fuck. Ya left her crying like a jackass. You definitely don’t deserve her._ His phone buzzed in his hand and he looked at who was bothering him. He saw three texts from Quincy, a missed call from an unknown number, and a text from Scharch. He groaned internally. _What the fuck does Scharch want?_ He unlocked his phone and opened Scharch’s message.

_Don’t forget our meeting with Mr. Mora tonight. Big Boss wants his money._

_Fuck. I left Poppy sobbing AND I still didn’t find the papers. I’ll have to deal with those papers later. Looks like Princess needs me to run errands with him._ Tora took one last look at Poppy’s front door and walked away.

_

 _God, what a jerk. The nerve he has. He does that to me last night and still won’t delete the picture? He said he’d delete it after he got what he wanted from me. What does he want? And what the FUCK does Julri want??_ She opened the text message and read it again.

_LolliPop, come on. Answer me. I wanna talk. I miss you. She didn’t mean anything and you didn’t tell me you were coming home early! Just talk to me._

Poppy cringed at the nickname he gave her. She didn’t care for it when they were dating but she thought he was cute for trying to give her a special pet name. Now, it made her skin crawl. _I want to kick his ass._ She thought back to when Tora had offered to do the job for her. She blushed remembering his deadpan face when he had told her that, as if he was talking about taking out the trash. She smiled at the thought of Tora defending her honor. Then, silently cursed herself for her indulgent thoughts. _He’s not chivalrous. He’s a cad and a jerk. Jerk. I need better insults…_

She tossed her phone aside, determined to deal with Julri later, and set about making her bed and cleaning up her apartment. She ripped the sheets off her bed and threw them in the wash with Erdene’s soiled shirt. She wanted a clean slate after this morning. After washing the dishes, unboxing the last of her belongings, and making her bed, she was still restless. The second she stopped her thoughts drifted back to Tora, the feel of his hands on her waist as he lifted her, the tug on her scalp when he pulled her up off the floor by her hair, the look in his eyes when he said “Watch me.” She shook her head to clear him of her thoughts. _A jog. That’s what I need to clear my head. Plus, it’ll get Jacob off my back about gaining weight._ She pulled on her leggings and shoved her headphones in her ears. She set off for a run, listening to the audiobook she had been meaning to finish since she moved to the city. 

By the time she made it back to her apartment, her face was splotchy and she was completely out of breath. _Geez, I’m out of shape. Maybe Jacob was right._ She was fiddling with her keys when Mrs. Haru came from her apartment across the hallway.

“Oh, Poppy dear! How are you? How’s the uh- the um- THE APARTMENT?” Poppy quirked an eyebrow at her. _Why is she acting so flustered?_

“Um, it’s great thanks!” She found her key and put it in the lock, jiggled it, and unlocked her door. She stepped in and put her keys on the hook near the door. _What was that about? Why was she staring at my neck like that?_ Poppy put a hand on the spot on her neck Mrs. Haru hadn’t stopped staring at and walked into the bathroom. When she turned the lights on and removed her hand she saw a deep purple mark, about the size of a silver dollar. _WHAT THE FUCK. He gave me a hickey! Is he a teenager? How am I supposed to go to work like this? No amount of foundation in the world will cover this up._ She groaned and started stripping furiously. She started the shower and took one last look at her neck in the mirror while the water heated up. _Damnit, he marked me. Now Erdene’s gonna hound me for details and Jacob is going to tease me ruthlessly._ In truth she could handle Jacob, but Erdene was a totally different story. Her friend was tenacious, never taking no for an answer when she knew she could get a yes. Erdene was deeply loyal and knew not to push too far if it was a sensitive subject. But she’d get her answers eventually. She was stubborn but she was patient.

Poppy stepped under the scalding water, hoping the water would boil away the mark on her neck. Logically, she knew it wouldn’t work and truthfully, part of her didn’t want it to work. She liked the idea of Tora marking her, staking his claim. But she was an adult damnit! She had to go to work and be professional in her adult job and she couldn’t walk in looking like a horny teenager! She lathered up her loofa and scrubbed ferociously at her neck, attempting in vain to scrub the mark away. After rubbing her neck raw, she moved to her breasts, soaping them up. Her nipples raised as the meshed loofa scraped them. She relished in the sensation and thought of Tora’s teeth on her breast last night. He had looked her right in the eyes when he bared his teeth and gently bit down on her nipple. Poppy traveled lower and slipped a finger in her folds. She thought of how Tora had pumped her with his thick fingers and began emulating his movements from last night. She thought of his tongue on her clit and rubbed it with her thumb. She came quickly and softly as Tora’s eyes flashed in her mind.

_I hate that guy. How’d he get so under my skin so quickly?_

_

“Alright, Quince. You’ve spent enough money, can we go home now? I’ve got shit to do.”  
“Absolutely not! I need to work.”  
“Can’t you work at home? I’m tired of these crowds.”  
“Crowds are my inspiration! I need to people-watch so I can find my next muse.”  
“Fine. Whatever. You get one hour and then I’m going home. Ya can come with or walk home.”

Tora had been driving Quincey all over town to various boutiques and cafes where he bought his fru fru shit and typed away for his novel. Tora bought a green tea and sat outside smoking while Quincey worked.

In the end, Tora had to acquiesces. Quincey was Vincent’s son and the only reason Tora didn’t have to deal with more clan bullshit than he already had to. Being Quincey’s bodyguard and Quincey wanting to distance himself from clan activities as much as possible meant Tora didn’t have to do as many Balthuman tasks as the other guys. He still had blood on his hands, plenty of it. But at least he was usually able to use Quincey as an excuse to not be around Vincent and his men. Tora was scrolling through his phone, checking his missed calls, and halfway through a fresh pack of cigarettes when a wave of soft brown hair across the street caught his eye.

He looked up and saw Poppy walking into the cafe across the street, her hips swaying deliciously in a pair of tight jeans. She walked through the door and that’s when Tora realized some cocksucker was holding the door open for her. It was the same guy that was calling her last night. _What has that fucker’s name? Justin? Julri! What the fuck are they doing together? That’s my hamster._ Tora bubbled over with rage at the sight of Julri blatantly staring at Poppy’s ass as she walked through the door. He looked back down at his phone and started a call. 

“Gyu? I need you to look up someone for me right fuckin’ now. And it needs to be fast.”  
“Shit, sure boss. What’s the name?”  
“Julri.”  
*Click*


	3. A Princess, Hamster, and Dog walk into a bar...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this chapter is probably a total mess. I usually reread my writing 2-3 times trying to scan for weird inconsistencies and such but I was so busy today and I'm so tired posting this. But I didn't want to give you guys nothing. So here's something?
> 
> Constructive criticism is very welcomed! Enjoy!!

“Alright! My hour is up and I’m not interested in walking so you can take me home now. Hello? Tora?”

Quincey had come out with his laptop under his arm and his to-go latte in his hand. Tora still hadn’t even given an inclination that he noticed Quincey was there. Quincey looked at where Tora's eyes were so focused on and saw he was staring into a restaurant across the street. He noticed the pale, brown haired girl from last night that had brought his student back to his apartment sitting across the table from another guy. He looked back at Tora and saw his forehead vein throbbing.

“Ah. That’s the girl from last night isn’t it?” When Tora didn’t respond, Quincey sighed, “welp, let’s go say hi. I can update her on the boy’s health.” Tora finally reached out and grabbed Quincey by the material on his shoulder, “abso-fuckin’-lutely not. We’re not going over there.”

“Why not? I’m sure she’s still worried about him. Plus, you drive worse when you're grumpy so I want to let you get into a pissing contest with that guy before we leave. I have a better chance of safely making it home that way.” Quincey pulled away from Tora and strode across the street. He walked in and right past the hostess up to Poppy.

_

Poppy had just gotten out of the shower and with a clear head, she set about responding to Julri. She must’ve written out a thousand messages and deleted them a thousand times before she finally settled on a message.

_Karma Creme Cafe. I’ll meet you there in about an hour._

She didn’t want to see him. She didn’t know what he wanted and frankly, she didn’t care. She just wanted him to stop contacting her. If she was going to do this, she was going to make sure this was the last time she saw Julri and she was going to make it worth it.

She found her favorite pair of jeans in the back of her closet. They were skin-tight, snug around her hips, and made her heart-shaped ass look even plumper. _Let’s show him what he lost._ She grabbed her second-favorite blouse after pulling her favorite one out of the dirty hamper and deciding a perfume spritz and smoothing wouldn’t be enough. The scoop neck, blush-pink blouse with shoulder frills showed off just enough cleavage while framing her waist just right, anyways. _He’s gonna eat his heart out._

She walked into the bathroom to comb her hair, leaning over, brushing it out, and flipping it back up to give it some volume. She found her favorite lip gloss at the bottom of her purse and applied a thick layer. As she pinched her cheeks to give herself some color, her mind replayed that night she got dinner with Tora and how he had reached out and pinched her cheek. _What had he called me? A hamster? Rude. I am not a hamster! I’m a “sexy as fuck” woman, as Tora put it. God, I gotta stop thinking about him. Right. From here on out, no more thoughts of his big arms wrapping around me. Of the way he had lifted me so gently but pulled my hair so roughly. Of the way he kissed my wrist when he thought he hurt me. NOPE NO MORE._

Poppy gave herself a once over and, satisfied, grabbed her purse to head out. She walked to the cafe so as to give herself time to think about what she was going to say to Julri. She thought about telling him to shove it and never, ever contact her again. Then, she thought about playing it cool, acting like she didn’t care if he missed her and that she was living her best life now. She didn’t have to tell him she was eating ramen four out of seven days of the week.

The closer she got to the cafe, however, the more she lost her nerve. She thought back to when she had walked in on him with that other woman, about how thin and beautiful she was. _Everything I’m not._ Tears started pooling again and she bit down on the inside of her cheek, refusing to let them fall. She opened her eyes wide in an effort to suck them back in. _Get it together. You deserve better. He’s a jagweed and you shouldn’t waste your time on jagweeds._

When she turned the corner towards the cafe, she saw Julri at the other end of the street, waiting just a store down from the cafe by the streetlight, talking on the phone. He saw her and hung up, lifting a hand in the air and waving. _Deep breath. Chin up. You got this._ She strode forward with confidence and poise. He started towards her and, as she got closer to the door, she immediately turned towards it and let him open the door for her. She walked through and sashayed a bit, just for good measure.

Julri walked in behind her and lifted two fingers in the air at the hostess. “Two, please.”

“Yes, sir. Right this way.” She led them towards the back of the restaurant and stopped in front of a four-person tabletop. She set down two menus and asked, “is this alright? All of our booths are taken.”

“It’s fine.” Poppy replied before giving Julri a chance to speak. She wanted to make sure he knew who was running this show. She sat down and immediately opened her menu, covering her face with it. _Shit! Was that smooth? I hope it was. He can’t know I’m nervous. I can’t be weak._ She pulled the menu back down when the waitress walked up and asked for their drink order. Julri asked for a coke and tried to order a lemonade for Poppy, her usual drink order on their dates, but she cut him off and asked for a strawberry juice. She went back to her menu when Julri cleared his throat. 

“Strawberry juice? Since when do you drink that?”  
“I’ve recently developed a taste for it.” She looked up, only moving her eyes.   
“Thanks for meeting with me. I really wanted to see you.”  
 _Starting already. Alright. Game on._ “Mhm. What did you want to say?”  
“Oh, um, okay? I guess I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you, Lollipop. She didn’t mean anything and you weren’t supposed to be home.”  
“So you’ve said.”  
“Yeah, I was just tutoring her in math, honest. I miss you. I want _you_ , Lollipop.”  
“Is that all?” 

Poppy needed to stop him before she lost her resolve. She almost caved when he apologized, but doubled down when she heard him call her that nickname. She was starting to hate it more and more by the second. Julri started to open his mouth again when they were interrupted by Quincey, who had come out of nowhere, or so it seemed to Poppy. 

“Hey, Poppy! Good to see you again. I saw you from the cafe across the street where I was writing my novel and thought I’d come over to let you know Benjamin is feeling much better today! If it weren’t for you, who knows what might’ve happened to him!”  
“Oh, that’s great! That’s good news.”  
Julri flitted his eyes between Poppy and Quincey, trying to sense the vibe between them. When Poppy sensed this, she cleared her throat, “Oh, Quincey this is Julri. Julri this is Quincey. We have.. mutual friends.”  
“And who’s that?”

After several groans and telling himself he was NOT about to wait outside while Quincey went in and talked to that scumbag and Poppy, Tora walked in to catch the tail end of their conversation and hear fuckface ask who he was. However, for the first time in her life, Poppy had somehow sensed his presence and had been aware enough of her surroundings to clock Tora as he walked in. It was almost as if her body was tuned to his and knew exactly when he entered a room. She was speechless up until he strode up to their table.

“T-that’s-”  
“This is my bodyguard, Tora.”  
“Bodyguard?”  
“Yes.” Quincey clipped, not wanting to delve into why he needed a bodyguard.  
“Okay, I guess? Uh, nice to meet you.”

Tora just grunted in response, barely looking at Julri. He had seen enough already. He only had eyes for Poppy and when he looked at her, he saw a mixture of anger, confusion, and … lust? Was she horny for him right now? Poppy licked her lips in response but, this time, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from him. Usually, his compelling gaze unnerved her and forced her to look away but after last night, she had a newfound confidence when it came to Tora. 

Finally, the waitress returned with Julri and Poppy’s drinks. As she set them down on the table and looked at Quincey and Tora, “will you two be joining? Can I get you something to drink?”

“Yes, I’ll have a Moscow Mule, Grey Goose vodka only please, and Tora will have a strawberry juice.” Quincey chirped before anyone else had a say. Poppy looked between Quincey, Julri, and eventually Tora, begging him to say something as Quincey sat down. In all fairness, he was about to come up with an excuse to leave when he noticed the brown bag Poppy had been carrying with those papers. _Well, fuck a duck._

“Come, honey. Sit.” Quincey motioned to the seat next to Poppy as he took his place next to Julri. Julri’s ears perked when Quincey called Tora “honey” and chimed in, seeing opportunity, “Oh so, you two are dating? That makes sense.”

“Oh no, no. While I don’t have a real preference, Tora here is quite specific in his type: short, brunettes with big… eyes.” Quincey made a pointed effort NOT to look at Poppy, which of course told the entire table exactly who he was talking about and what he really meant. Poppy coughed slightly and tucked her hair behind her left ear as Tora sat down next to her. This movement had taken the hair off her neck, revealing a purple and blue bruise that the light foundation Poppy applied was doing nothing for. Julri eyed her neck and narrowed his eyes. _What the fuck? Who the fuck? She never let me get so far as second base and now she’s making her way through town?_

Tora peeped over at Poppy and gave an almost imperceptible smirk when he saw the hickey. Almost. Julri had seen the look on Tora’s face and put two and two together. _This thug? SERIOUSLY? How am I supposed to compete with that? Well, I’ll be damned if I’m going out without a fight._

“Strawberry juice, huh? That reminds me. _Lollipop_ , remember when we went strawberry picking and had that picnic after? I must’ve fed you a hundred strawberries. You were about to pop.”  
“Huh? Oh, yeah. I do remember. That was a really nice day, actually.”  
Tora just looked away, his forehead vein throbbing.  
“Strawberry picking? Why didn’t you just buy strawberries at the store? That seems like a lot of labor.” Quincey chimed in.  
“Yeah, we got pretty sweaty, huh, _Lollipop_?”  
“I mean I guess.”

Desperate to change the subject and confused as to why Julri kept emphasizing that awful nickname for her, Poppy looked at Quincey and asked, “wait, did you say you were writing a novel earlier? Are you a writer?”

“Yep. I go by a pen-name though.”  
“You’re published already? What is it?” Poppy was suddenly fascinated. _Maybe if he’s sold a lot of copies, I can get him to leave his publisher and come over to Giant Goldfish._  
“Um, I don’t really like revealing both of my identities to just anybody.” Quincey obviously wasn’t referring to Poppy as his eyes darted to Julri.  
“Oh, of course. Well, if you’re looking to leave your current publisher, I work for a very respected firm and would love to read some of your work. Maybe we can work something out!”

Tora quirked his eyebrows at her and gave her a look. Poppy met his eyes and took a sip of her drink. _Is that pride in his eyes? Why would he be proud of me? I’m just looking out for Giant Goldfish._ Tora’s eyes changed as she took a sip of her drink from her straw. He thought about how those lips had been wrapped around him just last night.

When the waitress arrived with Tora and Quincey’s drink, Tora plucked the strawberry garnish from his glass and bit into it, staring directly at Poppy. _Oh god, is he doing that on purpose? His lips look so.. Sweet._

“You know, I actually am looking for a new publisher. My old one disrespected me. I’m in the process of writing one of my books now, but I have some first drafts of the first few chapters back at my apartment if you’d like to read them?” Quincey talked right through the waitress setting down their drinks.  
“Hmm?” Poppy managed as her attention was dragged away from Tora’s lips. “Oh, yes that’d be wonderful!”  
“Would we like something to eat? Or just drinks today?” The waitress spoke up with her pen and pad in hand.  
“You know what, I think Poppy and I should get going. We had other plans and we should head out so we aren’t late.” Julri finally spoke up again.  
“We do?” Poppy eyed him quizzically. “Actually, I need to get some work done and I’m really interested in Quincey’s book. I think you’ve said everything you wanted to say to me anyways, no?”  
“Well, actually-”  
“Great. Let's go.” Tora had uttered his first sentence throughout this entire ordeal and it was only to get them to leave. _Typical_. Poppy was annoyed he was so stoic and grumpy all of the time, but gave him a thankful look for doing her a solid and cutting the meeting with Julri short.

Tora stood and fished a 100 dollar bill out of his wallet and threw it on the table. When Poppy stood, he placed his hand on her lower back and grabbed her bag for her. He started to usher her out with Quincey close behind when Julri called out, “Hey, Tora. You dropped a hundred by mistake.” He stood with the bill in his hand in the air as proof.

Tora barely glanced back and grunted out, “it wasn’t a mistake.” He continued forward, his hand now firmly at Poppy’s hip, guiding her out.


	4. Rain Makes Corn. Corn Makes Whiskey.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't like Country music but this might have been a little bit inspired by Luke Bryan's Rain is a Good Thing and Carrie Underwood's line in Before He Cheats. You know the one.
> 
> Thank you thank you thank you for all the love! I've had some horrible stuff happen in my personal life so I'm using MPL as an escape and your love is my coke.
> 
> Ps. smut loading....

Poppy looked over her shoulder after they had walked out the door to see if Julri was following behind. When she saw he wasn’t, she stepped out of Tora’s grasp. As much as she relished his hands on her, she couldn’t let him get away with doing whatever he wanted after this morning.

“What?” He looked confused at the distance between them.

“What was that about?”

“I think you meant ‘thank you, Tora.’”

“Thank you??”

“My pleasure.” His grin was so jovial Poppy forgot her anger and smiled at him.

“That was the most testosterone-filled pissing contest I’ve ever seen.” She shook her head at him.

“But I won.” Tora smiled so wide Poppy melted on the sidewalk.

The three of them walked up to Tora’s car, as Quincey got in, Poppy stood on the sidewalk. “Ya gettin’ in or what?” Tora had opened his door and was starting to get in when he noticed she was still standing there.

“Oh, well, I was going to walk home. I just wanted to maybe get Quincey’s information to talk to him about his book.”

“Dear, what are you talking about? You must come over and read it immediately! I’ll make us drinks.”

“C-come over? I don’t know. I don’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense. Tora, mind your manners, get her door.”

Tora rolled his eyes and walked back over to where Poppy was standing. He yanked the door open but when Poppy looked up at him through his lashes, he got lost in her big brown, doe eyes. “Thank you, Tora.” _Fuck I love it when she says my name._ Tora took in the view of her from his height as she slid into his car, head first. _Fuck she’s got the most perfect tits. This woman is under my skin. How did that happen so fast?_

Tora spent the entire 20 minute drive sneaking glances in his mirror at Poppy while Quincey droned on about his book. When Poppy wasn’t meeting his eyes in the mirror, she was staring at Tora’s hair, his shoulder, and his bicep, marveling at how his body was just a bunch of large circles and rigid lines. _How often does he work out? God, he could probably bench me._ The thought of Tora benching her did something to her.

When they arrived, Quincey took the lead and keyed them into the lobby. Continuing on about god knows what now, Poppy walked next to Quincey with Tora not far behind. Tora stopped listening a while ago, choosing instead to admire the view of Poppy in _those_ jeans. Poppy glanced over her shoulder when she felt eyes on her and blushed furiously at the look Tora gave her.

The elevator ride up was filled with tension. The second Tora stepped in behind them and the doors closed, even Quincey shut up. He finally felt the tension and being the good brother he was, stayed quiet despite the almost irresistible urge to comment on how ice cream would melt with the heat in that elevator. Poppy kept her eyes on the ground, trying her damnedest to not visibly shake from Tora’s proximity. Tora seemed so blasé about the whole affair, leaning against the opposite wall with his arms folded across his chest. _How is he so relaxed? Is this one sided? Am I imagining things? He’s gotta feel this tension._

When the elevator dinged to announce their floor, Quincey stepped out as soon as the doors opened wide enough for him to fit through, wanting to escape their aura as fast as possible. Tora finally exhaled just loud enough for Poppy to hear, eliciting a smirk from Poppy as she stepped out. _He was holding his breath? I knew it wasn’t one sided._

_How the fuck does that woman do that? I can’t be within two feet of her without panting like a dog._ Tora, enchanted by her ass swinging before him, ambled after Poppy like a puppy following his master. When they finally caught up with Quincey, he had already entered his apartment leaving the door open for Tora and Poppy to let themselves in. He was already rummaging through his fridge when Tora closed the door behind him. Poppy stood between the kitchen isle and the cupboards behind her, trying to stay out of the way and not sure of what to do with her hands.

“Honey, can you get the whiskey out of the cupboard? I’m making whiskey sours.” Quincey closed the fridge with lemons, simple syrup, and maraschino cherries in his hands.

“Would ya stop calling me that? For Christ’s sake.” Tora walked toward Poppy and looked her in the eye as he pressed his chest up to hers, reached past her into the cupboard above her head, and pulled the whiskey out. _I swear this woman is constantly red. What I wouldn’t give to see her ass turn that shade under my palm._ He walked over to Quincey with the whiskey. Once he set it down and Quincey set about making their drinks, Tora opened the fridge and pulled out a bowl of edamame beans. He popped a couple in his mouth and leaned against the counter.

“Poppy, come. My book is over here, you can start the first chapter.” Quincey handed Poppy her whiskey sour. The idea of being around Tora for much longer made her knees weak. She took a big gulp of her drink and followed Quincey into the living room. She sat down on the couch, leaving a decent amount of space between her and Quincey. Tora strolled in and plopped down right beside her, his entire thigh pressing up against hers. He threw his arm around the back of her seat and with his other hand popped more edamame in his mouth. Poppy’s spine was ramrod straight and she threw back another big gulp of her drink.

“Oh shoot, I’ve only got the most recent chapter out here. Let me go get the first two chapters.” Quincey set his drink down and headed towards his bedroom. Tora leaned forward and Poppy, sensing his presence in her ear, shivered. 

“Do I make ya nervous?” He whispered into her ear.

“N-nervous? W-what would make you think t-that?” _Real smooth, Wilkes._

“Bobby, the military trains soldiers for years to get their spines as straight as yours, you’ve tossed back more than half of your drink already, and you’ve got goosebumps.” 

Tora lightly trailed his fingers on her neck, tracing her goosebumps. Her traitorous body responded to his touch and the hairs on her neck stood up anew. Poppy could hear the smile in his voice through it all.

“I-I’m not nervous!” _That was convincing right?_

“You don’t need to be scared, Bobby. I don’t bite. Not unless you ask for it.” Tora chuckled and leaned back as Quincey walked in, “Okay, so here’s the first two chap-” He stopped mid sentence when he saw Tora whispering in Poppy’s ear and lean back. “Everything alright?”

Poppy tossed back the last of her drink and leaped up, “Everything’s fine!” The drink and standing up so quickly made Poppy dizzy enough to sway. Tora grabbed her by the hips and steadied her, “easy there, Pops. I think ya had too much to drink.”

“I’m fine! Everything’s fine. Quincey, I’d love to read your books. I’ll try to finish them and talk to my boss by the end of the week to discuss a deal.”

“Actually, these are the only copies of my work. But, I guess I can let you borrow them. So long as you swear you’ll protect them with your life.”

Poppy giggled, “of course, Master Quincey.” She stopped giggling when she saw Quincey had a cold look in his eyes that looked almost unnatural for his face. _He’s usually so sweet and kind. The whole Master thing was a joke but he’s really owning it right now… He looks like he could kill a man for touching his novel._ “They’re in safe hands. I promise. I should get going now.”

Tora still had his hands on Poppy’s hips, but his eyes were on Quincey, impassive. _Shit, I’ve never seen him look like that before. He looks like his father._ When Poppy made to move out of Tora’s hands, he stood up with her and moved towards the kitchen. He put his now-empty bowl on the counter and grabbed her bag for her. “Come on then, I’ll take ya home.”

“OH NO THAT’S FINE.” Poppy stopped dead in her tracks. “Sorry, erm I just meant I can take a taxi home. I don’t want to be an imposition and you’ve been driving me around a lot.” 

_What the fuck? Do I really scare her that bad? She seemed comfortable enough last night making dinner._

“Nonsense, Tora already knows where you live and what if you get mugged on the way home? You’ve got my chapters!” Quincey’s voice got more shrill the more he talked about his chapters, the cold, menacing look in his eyes now long gone.

“Don’t get ya panties in a notch.” Tora huffed.

Poppy scoffed at him, “excuse m-!”

“Not you. Him. Come on, I’ll take ya home.” Tora placed his hand on the small of her back, his palm starting near one hip and his fingers reaching the other. He ushered her towards the door and once it was shut behind them, he grabbed her hand and walked towards the elevator.

_I’m not doing this because I like this. If I don’t hold her hand, she’ll trip and fall. She’s had a lot to drink._ He was trying to convince himself but when Poppy tried to slide her hand out of his, he squeezed it harder and looked at her to see if she had fallen. She looked up at him and blushed, squeezing his hand back. _Shit, maybe I do like this. Shit._ The thought scared him.

They walked to the elevator, descended, and strolled over to Tora’s parked car, holding hands the entire time. Tora finally let go to open her door and ensure she was safely inside before going over to his side. Once Tora reversed and pulled out into steady traffic, Poppy reached for his hand again and grabbed it without looking at him for approval. Tora had left his hand on the stick shift so Poppy had assumed his hand was up for grabs. Literally. 

Tora looked over at her but when she closed her eyes dreamily, his heart glowed. “What’cha doin’ there, sweetheart?”

“Hmm? Oh, I felt a bit lightheaded and I needed something to ground me…” She replied without opening her eyes. Tora smiled a megawatt smile, allowing himself to indulge, knowing she couldn’t see him.

They drove in comfortable silence and Tora, for the first time since he got his permit, went the speed limit the whole way not wanting to end their bliss. But eventually, he pulled up to her apartment and turned the engine off. When they arrived, Poppy was still asleep so he gingerly slipped his fingers out of hers and walked over to her side. He picked her up bride-style and when he stood up straight, she nuzzled his neck in her sleep. Some part of her brain must have registered the testosterone and cologne because her eyes shot open. “What? Where am I? Did I fall asleep?”

“Easy. You dozed off and I didn’t wanna wake ya.” Tora hadn’t looked down at her. He just kept striding forward, as if he were carrying a single bag of groceries or a small child. 

“Oh, um, you can put me down now.” Poppy blushed and tried to wiggle out of his grasp.

Tora squeezed her tighter and finally looked down at her. “So ya can trip and break ya neck down the stairs? Nuh uh. I got ya.”

“It’s okay, I’m fine! Put me down. I must be getting heavy.”

Tora gave a short laugh, “HA. Sweetheart, you’re lighter than what I curl. I got ya.” To prove his point, he tossed her up a bit and caught her again without even heaving a sigh. Poppy yelped at the movement and grabbed onto his biceps. When he caught her and chuckled, she joined him and giggled. “Okay, that was fun. My heart jumped out of my chest there a bit.”

“Oh a bit of a thrill seeker, are we?” Tora’s lips quirked up in a teasing smile. He only set her down when they reached her front door so she could fish her keys out of her bag.

Poppy had her keys in hand but before she turned to put them in the lock, she looked at him through her laskes, “wanna find out how much?” 

“Huh?” Tora had been too distracted by the sight of her breasts nearly spilling out of her shirt while she fished for her keys to remember what he asked.

Poppy’s eyes were intense. _This whiskey is making me bold. Well, carpe diem!_ “Would you like to find out how much of a thrill seeker I am?”

“Baby, I think that’s the whiskey talking.”

“It’s me. The whiskey’s just helping me get it out.”

Tora groaned at her honesty. _I gotta stop this. I gotta leave her alone. She’s gonna get hurt the more she’s around me. But fuuuuuuuck me, those eyes are the nail in my coffin._ “Are ya sure, Bobby? Ya might get addicted.”

“I might be already.”

Poppy’s whisper was Tora’s undoing. He leaned down and crushed her mouth with his. He fisted her hair as she ran her hands up his chest and into his hair. “Keys,” he mumbled through her lips, “now.”

He turned her around and she tried to focus on getting the key in the lock but Tora had her by the waist and was nibbling on her neck. “To-toraa,” she sang, “no more hickeys.” She felt the smile on her neck and finally managed to fit the key in the lock and turned it. As she opened the door, Tora spun her around and kissed her fiercely, shoving them inside and kicking the door shut with his heel.


	5. Say My Name Say My Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short but sweet.. kinda ;)
> 
> Also, if you see any previous chapters edited, mind ya business. I'm only now learning how to format chapters as an author on AO3 and I'm super anal about how I want the chapters to look.
> 
> Anyways, Love u lots. Thanks for reading! I cherish you and your kudos!

Tora kicked the door shut and reached behind him to lock the door, his tongue not missing a beat against hers. They took a few steps into the room and Tora grabbed the hem of Poppy’s shirt. In one sweeping motion, he pulled her shirt off pulling back to let the shirt slide over her head. 

_Sweet baby Jesus._ He growled at the sight of Poppy’s pale pink bra. The lace material wrapped her breast just enough to cover her nipples and gave way to sheer fabric teasing more cleavage than Tora thought could be natural. He lifted Poppy by the waist and as she wrapped her legs around him, he buried his face in her neck. He growled against her neck at the feel of her heat against his stomach and moved them into her bedroom. His kisses went from aggressive and consuming to gentle and tender as soon as they crossed the threshold to her bedroom. He leaned down and laid her on the bed, rearing up to take his own shirt off. Poppy looked up at him and bit her lip. She moved to cover her breasts as he stared at her, but Tora was too fast. He captured her wrists and placed them above her head.

“Don’t move. If you move, we start over.” Tora breathed in her ear and nibbled it before kissing along her jaw.

His words sent a shiver down her spine and she could feel herself soaking through her panties. Tora kissed along her neck and nipped her collarbone while palming her breasts, finding her nipples. He rolled her stiffened peaks through the fabric between his forefinger and thumb. Poppy let out a soft mewl and arched her back into his hands. He took his time kissing from her collarbone to her breast but when he reached the fabric of her bra, he used his teeth to drag the material down and truss her breast up further. He gave the other breast the same treatment with his finger.

He looked at her finally and took her rosy nipple in his lips and rolled his tongue over it. She arched her back deeper and cupped Tora’s head, mewling, “Tora.” He released her with a pop, “tsk tsk, sweetheart.” He moved her hands back up above her head and leaned into her ear, “now we have to start over.”

He nibbled her ear and started his slow torture towards her jaw, neck, collarbone, and finally back to her breasts. When he got to her now-exposed peaks, he looked back at her, daring her to move. She met his eyes and he saw nothing but determination and lust. _Good girl._

He flicked her nipple with his tongue and pinched the other, eliciting a moan from Poppy that was a direct line to his cock. He groaned against her and gave the other breast equal attention. He reached around her and undid her bra, moving down her stomach to the button on her jeans and undoing it. He hooked his fingers into her belt loops but before pulling them down, he met her eyes and murmured, “I like these jeans. Your ass looks world-class.”

He pulled her jeans down, kissing her hip bones as he went. She mewled and writhed underneath him, but kept her hands by her head. Pulling her jeans completely off, he revealed lacy, cheeky panties that matched her bra. He looked up at her and his lips tugged in a playful smile, “were ya expecting something tonight?”

“O-of course not! I just needed to feel confident today.” Poppy’s cheeks burned red.  
“Good.” Tora’s mood changed instantly at the thought of someone else seeing this bra. He went from sweet and attentive to possessive, claiming her mouth with his.

 _Woah. Did he think I was going to sleep with Julri tonight? Is he jealous?_ That’s as far as Poppy’s train of thought went as Tora slipped his fingers under her panties. He rubbed his finger along her seam, groaning in appreciation. “Fuck, sweetheart. You’re so wet for me already?” His voice was seeping with wonder and worship. He leaned back down, pulling her panties off and replacing his finger with his tongue. Reaching her bundle of nerves, he swirled his tongue around her apex. “God, Tora!” she pulled her hand down only far enough to bite her knuckle, not wanting her neighbors to hear her. Tora reached for her elbow, “I want them to hear. Scream my name. I want everyone to know who’s doin’ this to ya.” Poppy responded with a moan as he slipped a single digit into her warm, velvety channel. He went back to licking her bud while he pumped her softly, eventually adding a second finger. He continued pumping her with two fingers, slowly stretching her, prepping her for him.

“Yes, Tora, mmmore. More, Tora, please!” Tora pumped faster and began flicking her clit with relentless speed. “YES. TORA, YES. Ahh!” Her moans turned into incoherent keening as her orgasm ripped through her body. She fisted the pillows by her head and bit down on her bicep. Tora lapped up every drop of her, licking her nub with every other aftershock.

As she was coming down from her high, Tora stood up and started to unbuckle his jeans. When Poppy heard the jingle of his belt, she sat up and replaced his hands with her own. 

“Oh yeah, baby?” Tora’s eyebrows raised.  
“My turn.” Poppy was determined to make this typically collected and reserved man come undone.

She fumbled with his belt in a way that would make anyone embarrassed for her, but only made her more endearing to Tora. Her enthusiasm was unlike what he’d ever encountered before. Women practically threw themselves at him, but as for the ones that made it this far, none had been this keen. Poppy seemed like she was on a mission to please him. Little did she know, she succeeded a while ago.

She finally managed to undo his buckle and regained her composure. She looked up at him as the buckle came loose and she dragged the belt off his hips, ever so slowly. _Sweet fuck, she’s gonna get me killed thinking about those lips on a job._ Once the end of the belt made it past the last loop, she tugged his jeans down and he stepped out of them to help her get them off. Standing there, naked except for his boxer briefs, Poppy looked him up and down, her eyes finally honing in on his cock standing at attention. She palmed him through his underwear and pulled the elastic over his dick, in doing so, causing it to bob in the air.

She got up on her knees and sat back, firmly grasping him at the base. She lightly kissed the head of his cock, her lips barely brushing his smooth skin. Tora hissed through his teeth and threw his head back. He would come right then if he kept watching her. She smiled in victory and took his head in her mouth, licking the bead of precum. Tora bucked involuntarily and Poppy grabbed his hips. She released him and he whipped his eyes to her.

“If you move, we’ll have to start over.” She parroted back to him.  
“You minx.” Tora purred.

Poppy smiled and took his head back in her mouth. She swirled her tongue around his head, taking him just a little deeper. She bobbed on him, taking a little more in each time she went down. Slowing down as she took more of him in, she swirled her tongue on his tip as she came back up. She kept at this rhythm, in this pattern, _down, up, swirl, down._

_Where the fuck did she learn that? Holy shit, this is next level blowjob._

“Fuck, Bobby. You look so hot with your tight little mouth around my dick.”

Tora could feel the build up in his dick, every nerve from his gut to his spine and down to his toes burning. But before he could warn her he was about to come, she popped off him and took one of his balls in her mouth. She sucked one and then the other while her hand twisted the base of his cock. Sensing how close he was, she stroked him, taking care not to touch his head. After a few strokes, she felt he had regained enough control and licked his dick from base to tip. Upon reaching his head, she took him back into his mouth with her hand twisting his base. 

Tora growled, “enough. I’ll come in your mouth another time. I wanna be in ya already.” He pulled himself out of her mouth and moved on top of her. He rubbed the head of his cock along her wet seam. Placing himself at her entrance, he watched her mouth drop open and let out a small moan as he slid into her. He went in slowly until he hilted in her, staying there for a moment and savoring her clenching walls around him.

“Fuck, baby, your pussy is magic.” He opened his eyes and Poppy saw the fire of a thousand suns blazing in them. She wriggled underneath him, urging him to move. “Tora, god, please move. Fuck me.”

The sharp slap on her ass came as a shock and Poppy sucked a breath in. “You’ve got a dirty little mouth, Bobby.” He didn’t let her respond before he started moving, fast. He set an unforgiving pace, his revering kisses and touches now forgotten.

“Harder, please, Tora. I need it.” She wrapped her legs around his waist tighter.

Tora grabbed her knees and hiked them up to grab her ankles. He pushed her ankles up towards her head. when her toes touched her headboard with her legs straightened out, his eyes grew wide, “how are ya so flexible?”

“I- hmm, like- yoga-” each word punctuated with a thrust from Tora, impossibly deep in this position.  
“Fuck me.” He grunted. Picking up the pace, he could feel her clenching around him. “Come on, Bobby. Come for me.”  
“Oh, Tora!”  
He almost came at the sound of his name on her lips. “Say it again. Say my name.”  
“Tora, tora, toraaaaa!” The last of his name turning into a loud moan as she came and her legs shook.  
“Fuck yes. Poppy, fuck!”

He stilled inside her and she could feel his dick pulsing in her through her aftershocks, filling her. Spent, he moved so his forehead was resting on hers and her legs wrapped around him. Both of them panting, they smiled and he kissed her, softly. He pulled out of her gingerly and flopped onto his back, pulling Poppy into his chest with one arm. She rested her head on his chest and nuzzled.

“What are ya doin’ to me, kid?”  
“What do you mean?” Poppy mumbled, already half-asleep.  
“I don’t know if I can let ya go.”  
“Then don’t.” Poppy nuzzled his chest as he pulled her tighter and kissed the top of her head. He let out a heavy sigh. 

_Hook, line, and sinker._


	6. Stay With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ANNOUNCEMENT!
> 
> I never had a set upload schedule and I know I've been uploading every day, but as the story starts to progress and get a little more complicated, I'm going to be uploading less often. I still plan on writing every day so I'm hoping to upload every other day or every two days but I don't want to give you guys garbage.
> 
> Don't hate me. I want to make sure you guys enjoy what you're reading and posting every day while still working full time and dealing with my personal life is a bit stressful for me. I want to have fun with you guys as I write! I hope you understand. Love you all. Enjoy this painfully short and painful chapter.
> 
> Also, I've got a new thing for making song titles as my chapter titles. That will now be my version of summaries for my chapters (':

_“What happened to ya? Who did this to ya?” The young boy with jet black, cropped hair tensed his jaw._

_*Sniff* “N-no one. Don’t worry about it.” The smaller boy with his bright blue hair split down the middle, falling into his eyes, rubbed away the sniffle with his forearm gingerly. His face was marred with red marks, his cheek swollen and left eye quickly turning blue._

_“Tell me.” The larger boy, only thirteen and lean as a rail but taller than most boys his age, fisted his hands._

_“It was those guys on the other side of Ares Street. It’s not a big deal. I’m fine.” He was basically a younger, shorter version of Tora, sans Balthuman brand and with blue hair. Tora started walking away, towards the culprits he could see turning a corner just down the street. He ran after them and about ten minutes later trotted back to the still sniffling mini-me, now panting. “What did ya do?”_

_“Don’t worry about it, kid. I got ya back. Always.” He wrapped his arm around the smaller boy’s neck, chuckling as he poked the boy’s swelling cheek._

The sun, poking through the slats in the blinds, beamed directly on Tora’s eyes, rousing him. He squinted against the brightness and squeezed his eyes tight as they watered from sleep and light. _I miss those days. I haven’t had a good dream like that in a long time. What changed?_ As if in response to his thoughts, Tora felt a petite nose snuggle into his sternum. Glancing down, Poppy had a hand on his chest next to her face, her pale, delicate fingers a stark contrast to the colorful work of art on his rigid chest. _Is it you, sweetheart? Are you my talisman? For your sake, I hope not._

Tora leaned into her hair, breathing in her scent, lavender and vanilla filling his nose. He leaned back slowly so as not to disturb his sleeping beauty. He watched her face, her lips turned up slightly in a smile with a little drool falling onto his chest. Her hair fanned out behind her in a chaotic wave onto his bicep and the pillow underneath. _Even her dreams are sweet and good and pure. Why the fuck did she let me in?_

His thoughts turned sour at the thought of her being involved in his world, with him. He stiffened and tried to pull out from under her. _I’ll just find the bag, find the papers, and leave. I’m sorry, sweetheart, but this is what’s best for you._ The increased firmness of Poppy’s muscled pillow woke her from her dreams. She wrapped her arm around his waist and nuzzled his chest, smiling as tobacco and cologne swam in her nose.

“Good morning.” She murmured against his chest, “what time is it?”  
“Good morning, sweetheart. It’s uh-” he reached for his phone on the nightstand, “it’s 8:45.”  
“Hmm” she started to kiss his chest, when the realization hit her. “8:45?!? SHIT.”

She swung the covers off of her and jumped out of bed so fast Tora didn’t see her enter the bathroom as the comforter landed back on the bed. “I’M LATE.” He heard her yell around her toothbrush from the bathroom. He stood up, pulled his underwear and jeans on, and walked over to where he had thrown his shirt last night. Bending over to pick it up, his eyes flashed with milky white skin and rose petal nipples. _Fuck, leaving her might be harder than I thought._ He tugged his shirt back on and moved to her bag, sitting forgotten in the corner. He could still hear Poppy in the bathroom, rummaging around. _Now or never._ He picked up her bag and started rifling through, finding several manila folders of neatly stacked papers. Spotting one with papers in disarray and thicker than the others, he pulled it out and set the bag back down. Poppy had moved to her closet and was pulling on her clothes, so he had to move quickly.

He opened her folder and sifted through the papers until he found the list of names he had been looking for. The list was the reason Poppy had entered his life, whether she knew it or not, and it was now the reason he was leaving her. Staring at the list, not really seeing any names, and lost in his thoughts of her that day at the train station, he didn’t hear her finish getting ready and walking back into the bedroom.

“Tora? What are you doing? I need to- What is that?”  
Tora spun around, holding the papers in one hand and the folder in the other, the opened bag at his feet. “Pops. You don’t understand.”  
“Tora, why are you going through my bag? What is that?” Her voice laced with confusion.  
“Pops, this is a very important paper that doesn’t belong to you. Ya snagged it accidentally that day ya crashed your scooter.” He was explaining her mistake as if she were a toddler.  
“And you’ve been looking for it this whole time?”  
“Well, yeah but-”  
“Is that all you wanted?” Her eyes now brimming with unspilled tears and her voice cracked on her last word.

Her words were like a bullet to his heart, hurting more than any gut punch, knife wound, or gunshot he’d ever received. He opened his mouth in a silent plea, not finding the words to explain that’s what it was at first but he couldn’t imagine never having met her. He couldn’t imagine not seeing her piercing gaze when she was determined, her blush when she was embarrassed, her tiny fists hitting him when he got a rise out of her.

“Get out.” Her gaze hardened but the tears stayed. She balled her fists to keep herself from letting the tears fall.  
“Bobby, let me explain.” Tora had turned to face her, dropping the folder on her bed and reaching towards her.

She took a step back as he reached out and looked down. She knew if she looked him in the eye, she’d lose her resolve. “You got what you wanted. Now go.” Tora’s hand hung in the air and his gut roiled at her words. “Poppy, please. Don’t do this.” She turned away and the tears fell, burning her cheeks. “Please leave. Please.” Her last word was a plea.

Tora straightened and turned towards the door. He grabbed his shoes and yanked the door open. Before stepping out, he chanced a look back, hoping she would stop him or say something. She hugged herself, tears falling like a flood down her face, and stared at her bag in the corner. He walked out and heard muffled sobs through the door as he closed it.


	7. Love Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience with this one! I'm trying to stay loyal to the characters while adding my own perspective to them. Hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Also, all characters belong to Lilydusk. I claim absolutely no ownership. None of these characters are mine. Go support her!
> 
> P.S. Chapter title song is from Lana Del Ray

Heavy sobs wracked through her tiny body, her hands covered her face as fat tears soaked her fingers. She stood there, unmoving, letting her tears burn her cheeks and her chest ache as she gasped for breath. Her mind replayed the scene over in her head.

_“Tora? What are you doing? I need to- What is that?”_   
_Tora spun around, holding the papers in one hand and the folder in the other, the opened bag at his feet. “Pops. You don’t understand.”_

_Of course he didn’t actually want me. He just wanted those papers. Sleeping with me was just a bonus. I was just another one of the many to him. How am I supposed to go to work like this? Fuck. Work! I’m late._

She stood up straight and forced the last of her tears out of her eyes with the heel of her palm. She went back into the bathroom and washed her face, avoiding her reflection. She knew she didn’t look good, she didn’t need to be reminded. She didn’t need her reflection to berate herself for getting her heart broken.

_I can’t believe I was so stupid. So gullible. Julri was right, this city is already eating me alive._

She remembered his words when she first told him she got a job in the city after graduation. He’d gone red and was yelling how she’d never make it. She thought he was just sad and unable to express his emotions of their relationship becoming long-distance properly. _Maybe he was right?_ The thought seized her throat, a sob threatened to break through again.

_No. Knock it off, Poppylan. You have a job you’re late to. You can be a baby later. Right now you need to be an adult and go to work. Pull it together. You can do this. Bag, shoes, keys. Let’s go. Boss bitch._

She power-posed for 15 seconds like her mother taught her all those years ago before first grade. She had been too scared to go in alone on her first day of school. Her mother held her shoulders, breathed deeply with her, and power-posed with her until she felt strong enough to go in. Some of the kids snickered as they walked past but her mother didn’t flinch.

_Hands on your hips. Chest proud. Chin up._

She took a deep breath and walked out the door for work.

_

She huffed as she took the stairs, two at a time, and pushed through the office doors. Sweat beading at her brow, she dropped her bag on her desk and sat down, trying to catch her breath.

“Morning, pops. Decided to take the stairs to lose some weight? Is that why you’re late?” Jacob chuckled at her from his desk, leaning back in his chair. Poppy shot him a glare that made him fall back in his chair. “Jeez easy, Poppy. I was just teasin’.”

“Well, DON’T. I’m not in the mood to put up with bullshit today, Jacob.” She spit out his name like old gum.  
“Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean any harm. I shouldn’t have said that. It won’t happen again.” Jacob had picked himself off the floor and was rubbing his neck, head hanging.  
Poppy sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, “thank you, Jacob. I’m sorry I snapped.”

The softness has returned to her voice and she smiled weakly at him, trying to make amends. She didn’t want to burn any bridges. Jacob was barely a friend but Erdene and him were all she had right now. _Speaking of, where is Erdene? I’m surprised she hasn’t hounded me about why I’m late. She’s usually here by now._

“Hey, Jacob, where’s Erdene?”  
“Oh, she had a brunch meeting with a potential client.” Jacob had gone back to his work, his response was easy, as if the previous quarrel never happened. She appreciated that he could move on like that.

_Now it’s your turn to move on. Poppy shook her head as Tora’s jet black locks, bright orange koi, and pink peonies swam at the edges of her memory. Not now. I’ll evaluate why the hell I’m so sad about a guy I barely know later. At least with Erdene at brunch, I’ll be able to get some work done without her compassionate stare. Any kindness right now and I’ll cry again._

She opened her bag with Quincey’s book and started reading.

_

Tora pounded the stairs and took long strides to get back to his car. He slammed the door shut as he jumped in. Sitting there, he stared at his dash blankly. “FUCK.” He beat his fists against his steering wheel in anger. _I totally fucked that up. She was fucking sobbing. Why couldn’t I just fucking explain to her it was for her own fucking good I leave? Why couldn’t I fucking form any comforting words? Why do I have to be such a piece of shit._ He started the car and whipped out of the parking spot. He pushed his foot on the gas and launched forward, wanting to be as far from his mistakes as possible.

He sped through traffic, weaving between cars in the morning rush. “FUCKING MOVE, ASSWIPE.” He swerved around a Prius and laid on the horn. As he drove past, he saw it was a granny with glasses about an inch thick. He kicked himself for honking at an old lady and sped past, sinking into his driver’s seat. He pulled into the parking garage of his apartment building and headed straight for the basement gym.

As he walked in he saw a guy at the bench press, cranking out some reps. Tora walked directly past him to the punching bag hanging from the back of the room. He tore his shirt off and didn’t even bother to wrap his knuckles before starting in on the bag. _Fuck wraps. I want to bleed. I deserve it._ He whaled on the back, alternating his punches. _Jab, cross, jab, jab, cross, cross-body, jab, kick._

He kept up this pace, not hearing the guy set the bar back down and sneak out of the gym. He stopped only to hold the bag in place, to keep it from swinging too wildly. _You fucking prick. You should have never slept with her._ His internal monologue reviled him. _She doesn’t belong to me. To my world. Even when I try not to hurt her, I reduce the intense, ballsy hamster-woman to a weeping mess. She’s better off without me._ He threw one last jab. Standing there panting, he asked himself, _but am I better off without her?_

He stayed in the gym for another hour, stopping for the occasional sip of water from the cooler. The tiny paper cups dwarfed in his hands. They reminded him of how tiny her hands looked in his. It pissed him off and he went back to the bag harder than before. He didn’t hear the seven missed calls or 12 texts or the knock at the door. He wasn’t wearing headphones, he just couldn’t be bothered by the outside world. When a hand landed on his shoulder, he turned and almost threw a jab at its owner. He stopped himself when he saw the hand belonged to Quincey.

He panted out, “what do you want?”  
“Tora, where have you been? I had a brunch date this morning I missed because you weren’t answering your phone.”  
“Fuck you and your brunch date.” He turned back around to go another round with the bag.  
“Hey. What’s going on? You never speak to me like that. Not even when I deserve it.”

Tora stopped punching. Quincey was right. Even when they were kids and Quincey was being extra bratty, Tora never yelled at him. He always treated Quincey with the same love and respect Quincey bestowed on him. They were raised as brothers and they fought. But Tora never really hit him, not as hard as he could, and he never spoke to Quincey like he just did. _There I go again. Fucking yet another thing up._

“Sorry.” Tora mumbled between pants.  
“It’s okay, honey.” The apology was more than Tora had ever given anyone. That one-word mumble-pant was the most sincere apology Tora had ever uttered in his life. “What’s going on? Talk to me.”  
“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” Tora walked over to the cooler, grabbing another paper cup.  
“Is it Poppy? Did something happen?”  
“I said don’t worry about it, Quince. Now drop it.” Tora barked back.   
“Fine. You’ll talk when you’re ready. I’ll listen when you are. Until then, I have business errands to run. Are you up to driving me?”

Tora groaned but knew driving Quincey around was better than moping about in his apartment. Maybe he’ll get the chance to beat someone to a pulp.

_

  
When Erdene finally got back from her brunch, she had barely set her purse down on her desk before she started interrogating Poppy. “Poppy, what’s wrong? Who hurt you?” She reached Poppy’s desk in two long strides with her mile long legs. She reached for Poppy’s chin and pulled it up to examine her face better.

“What are you talking about, Erdene? I’m fine.” Poppy tried to pull her face out of Erdene’s hand and look away, hoping her eyes weren’t still puffy. They were. Erdene saw.  
“Jacob, if Gil asks we went on an early lunch.” Erdene grabbed Poppy’s hand and headed towards the door, Poppy in tow and protesting in vain.

Once they sat down at the coffee shop, Erdene began her interrogation anew, not waiting for Poppy to open her menu. “Poppy, what’s going on? You’re never this puffy. What happened?” All intensity was lost from her voice, her typically vivacious demeanor replaced with that of a worried mother. Poppy sagged under her gaze, tears brimming her eyes. She launched into a word vomit explanation of Tora, the picture, Mr. Lam, Julri, and the papers. She had glossed over the fact that they slept together, hoping Erdene wouldn’t stop her to ask details about the sex. Erdene only nodded attentively and remained silent throughout her explanation, waiting to pass judgement on Tora or the situation until Poppy was finished.

“And then he walked out. I sobbed and then I came to work.” Poppy finished her account of the events with a deep sigh.  
“Well. He’s a douche.” Erdene took a sip of her matcha latte.  
“That’s it? Really?”  
“No, that’s not it. He sucks. He really fumbled the ball with those papers and should’ve just communicated with you his need for them. He also should’ve communicated his need for you.”  
Poppy scoffed at that, “yeah right, Erdene. Did you not hear a word I said? He’s obviously not into me like that. He just wanted to.. to sleep with me.” She whispered the last part and blushed behind her tea mug.

“Pops, you’re hot. You have sex. I have sex. That girl in the corner has sex. That guy- well, maybe not that guy. But you get the idea. You don’t need to be embarrassed about sex. But I digress. He clearly is interested in you. He wouldn’t have gone to the lengths he did that day of your meeting with Mr. Lam or use his resources the way he did to track Mr. Lam down and tell you if he didn’t care. With men, actions speak louder than words. Or their lack thereof.”  
“I don’t know. Maybe you’re right, but then why not ask me for the papers? I would’ve given them back. I don’t even care what they’re about!” 

That was a lie. She was a bit curious now that she had time to think about it. But she wasn’t going to admit that right now. She was on a roll.

“What I really don’t understand, is why I care so much. I barely know him. He’s obviously in a gang. He’s no good for me. So why do I feel so.. so heartbroken?” Poppy looked into her tea, hoping the tea leaves at the bottom would reveal the answer.  
“I can’t give you those answers, Poppy. You know yourself best, so you know why you care. You just haven’t figured it out yet. But you will.” Erdene reached out to hold her hand.

Poppy let another tear slip out and it landed on Erdene’s hand. Her friend was demanding, persistent, and spunky. But she was also loyal, compassionate, and kind. She knew what to say and when to say it or not to. She was perfect. _I’m so lucky I found Erdene. Maybe moving to the city wasn’t that bad._

“Thanks, Erdene. I appreciate you listening to me.”  
“Anytime, doll. You’re my girl.” Erdene’s smile felt like the warm hug Poppy needed so desperately. Being obstructed by a table, Erdene just squeezed her hand tighter. “If you’re ready, I think we should get back to work.”  
“You go ahead. I’m right behind ya.” Man, I’m even starting to talk like him.

Erdene smiled and dropped some cash to cover both of their drinks. She walked out, legs carving through the air, ponytail swinging as she made her way through the cafe. 

_I care because I care about him. And if Erdene is right, he cares about me too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I like toying with the idea of Poppy being strong enough to pull herself together for things like work but also emotionally intelligent enough to let herself feel her feelings. Tora however, I imagine as a more emotionally stunted large boy. He wasn't allowed to show weakness, which includes sadness.
> 
> I also imagine Tora and Quincey have a very brotherly relationship. He's the only part of his involvement with the Balthuman's he's okay with and frankly grateful for. He loves Quincey. As an author, I think Quincey has enough emotional intelligence to deal with Tora and knows how to handle him during a Tora-version of a meltdown.


	8. Better With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience with this one! I've had a lot going on recently but I'm back!
> 
> I missed my fave hamster and tiger. I hope you did too!
> 
> All characters belong to Lilydusk.
> 
> Chapter title is Better With You by 3LAU

Poppy drowned herself in Quincey’s book for the next two days. She needed an outlet to all of her nervous energy. She told Gil she’d have a prospect for a new deal with notes on his book by the end of the week. She had three days to read the book, add her notes, and draft a deal ready for Gil to sign. She started going on runs after work, not having spent enough energy. She stopped running in high school when she began developing since not even wearing two sports bras could stop the discomfort.

She walked into her apartment, huffing after yet another grueling run. She tried to focus on her breathing or remembering to add another note to Quincey’s book but when she got to the hill three-quarter miles in, her thoughts inevitably turned to him. Her chest got tighter and her legs would ache as she tried to trudge up the hill at a steady pace. Somehow, though, the thought of Tora’s long, lithe legs, his broad, muscled back, his brick-wall chest always pushed her harder. 

_Come on, sweetheart. Push for me._

She’d pound the ground harder and suddenly be over the hill, breezing through the rest of her run. The stairs were her nemesis, though. After a four mile run, the five flights of stairs to her apartment were daunting.

Tugging her earphones off, she wrapped them around her phone and put her keys in the bowl by the door. She kicked her shoes off and made a bee-line for her shower, unable to bear her own stench. She peeled off her shirt and fought her sports bra as it stuck to her chest, soaked. Stripping off her shorts and underwear, she kicked them to the side and stepped into the steamy shower. She sighed heavily as the water hit her chest. She turned to wash her hair, hoping the water would rinse away thoughts of _him_. This had been her ritual for the past three days. And for the past three days, it didn’t work. 

She gave up trying to forget him. She gave up trying to forget her brief text conversation with him. She tried not to overanalyze his responses, without success. 

_Me: Can we talk?_

_Tora: Sure. I can come over now._

_Me: No, not now. I need a little more time to think but I do want to talk eventually._

_Tora: ok_

_Me: Can you meet me for lunch on Friday?_

_Tora: ya_

_He was so curt._ The water burned her scalp deliciously and her wet hair clung to her breasts, wrapping around the underside. _Could he be mad at me? For what? I should be mad at him! I’m not though. I just.. I miss him. How can I miss someone I barely know so much?_ She grabbed her loofa, squirting a generous amount of her lavender and vanilla body wash onto it. She rubbed circles on her stomach, sudsing the loofa and creating a deep lather. She dragged the sponge up her sternum and across her chest. Wrapping the suds around the swell of her breasts, her mind drifted to the nights they spent together. She only felt this kind of longing a couple of times before in her life. Once when she walked past the boy’s weightlifting team by accident in the gym, and when she had Tora in her apartment for dinner. The second time, though, created a blooming burn in her lower abdomen.

The thought of Tora mauling her body with his hands as he carried her through the doorway the night they went to Julri’s apartment had the blooming burn resurfacing. She swirled one breast with her loofa and the other with her hand, pinching her nipple. She twirled her nipple beneath her loofa, thinking of the way she threw her on the bed. Her free hand roamed south to her neatly groomed mound. She dipped her middle finger into her seam, massaging within her lips. She pinched her nipple as her finger found her bundle of nerves at her apex. She twirled around her bud, climbing higher, remembering the way it felt when Tora slipped himself inside her. She added a second finger to her ministrations as she slipped them inside her core.

Pulsing in and out, she felt the burn spread down her legs, setting every nerve on fire up her spine. She felt her skin getting warmer as she tugged at her nipple, none of it attributed to the water. She let out little whimpers as the burning became unbearable. Her hips bucked against her own hand as she remembered his question that made her quietly swell with pride at the time. _How are you so flexible?_ She keened as her climax built, her fingers moving faster in and out of her, her thumb rubbing her bud. “Tora” she moaned softly into the water, the patter on the tub drowning her out. She remembered how he thrust into her and called her name. Her climax tore through her as she clenched on her fingers.

Coming down from her high, she remembered his soft words in her ear that night. _I don’t know if I can let you go._ “I don’t know if I can let you go.” She echoed his words back to herself.

Finishing her shower, she stepped out and pulled on her favorite night shirt. The large, white shirt with an orange kitten on the front tickled her thighs. She crawled into bed and pulled her heavy comforter over her, trying to forget the golden eyes that captured her heart.

_

The sun bled through her blinds and she blinked away the sleep from her eyes. She had already been teetering on the edge of sleep for the past half hour, nervous about what she was going to say to Tora today. _Today’s the day, Poppy. Let’s Carpe the fuck out of this diem._ She kicked the sheets off and sprung out of bed. She pulled on her favorite blush blouse and gray pencil skirt, mulling over between her black flats or black pumps. She didn’t normally wear heels to work but she felt markedly more confident in them. She called them her power heels. However, she wanted to go for a walk to have her talk with Tora at lunch. She knew sitting would create too much pent up energy and she needed to be collected and clear in her communication. _I need the confidence more than I need to feel my toes today. It can’t be that bad._

Slipping on her black pumps, she grabbed her work bag and strutted out the door. She took the metro today, opting not to overwork herself in her shoes so early. She could feel the eyes on her throughout her commute, but made it an effort to keep her head high. She caught a man in his 40s in an ill-fitted suit sneaking looks at her and a student in his uniform blatantly staring at her. _I can’t look that ridiculous? I know I have a baby face but I mean come on. I look old enough to be wearing these clothes? Whatever. Not dealing with this today._ She redirected her train of thought to the short-tempered tiger of a man pervading her dreams.

_Tora, I want to start this conversation by saying I’m still upset about the whole paper debacle. I don’t know why you needed those papers, but you didn’t have to sleep with me to get them. If you had explained the situation I would’ve given them over, no questions asked. That being said, I need to know if you just slept with me for the papers or if you actually felt something._

She repeated her speech in her head over and over, not wanting to miss anything important. She deserved to be heard and she was going to demand he listened. He didn’t have to respond with her pre-scripted response for him. They never stay on script when she goes over conversations in her head anyways. She did, however, need to get it all off of her chest.

Walking into the office, she went straight to her desk to try to burn the morning away by adding last minute edits to Quincey’s book and going over the deal she wrote up the day before. Quincey was going to be here at 11am for their meeting with Gil, his impassive beefcake in tow probably. She stuffed her head into the contract for Quincey and poured over it, making sure the offer still seemed fair and there was no way for Quincey to wiggle out of the deal prematurely. She had to be careful. She barely knew Tora and didn’t know Quincey at all, especially professionally.

By the time she lifted her head out of the contract, it was already 10:45am. _I should prep the meeting room!_ After saying good morning to everyone in the office and starting the coffee pot, she paused Erdene before she could start in on the questions about her meeting with Tora. She was already in a fragile yet determined headspace, questions could easily get her overthinking. Again. Despite that, she needed Erdene’s help setting up tea for the meeting. In reality, she just needed a pep talk from Erdene. She needed to hear that Erdene was in her corner.

She pulled Erdene into the meeting room with the tea set already complete on the mahogany table. Six large, black leather chairs circled the oval table and Poppy went about adjusting each one. 

“Pops, what’s up? You seem to have everything under control here.” She said with mirth, teasing her for obsessing over the chairs. 

“I just.. I’m nervous. I’ve never secured a deal before. Especially not with someone who already has so much notoriety!” She moved the tea set on its tray, aligning the spoon in the sugar bowl with the dip in the saucer.

“Hey, Pops. Look at me,” Erdene walked across the room and grabbed her tiny friend by her shoulders. “You’re a badass publisher with a boss bitch attitude when it comes to work. I know this isn’t about the deal. You’re always so put together.. Professionally. Is this because of your lunch date with Tora?”

Poppy told Erdene about her meeting with Tora and even drafted the texts with her. She needed moral support and even for a publisher, was at a loss for words on what to text Tora.

“It is not a date! It’s a meeting.” Poppy’s blushed cheeks burned strawberry red as she looked away.

“Uh huh, and I’m a virgin. Poppy, you know you deserve to be heard today. You deserve respect. Demand it.” she crossed her arms, hoping to lend her friend some of her own determination.

“You’re right. I can do this.”

Just then, the door knocked and Gil popped his head in. “hey ladies, I think our potential client is going to be here soon. Wanna come out here and present a united front?”

His eyes crinkled with his nervous smile. Poppy thought Gil radiated uncle-energy from the moment she walked into his office for her interview. His eyes crinkled as he welcomed her into his office. He was wearing a white button up with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His plaid tie rested on the gentle swell of his belly; he probably had a couple glasses of wine with his dinner, nightly but he wasn’t necessarily unhealthy. His hairline was receding and the sides of his head were turning gray, but it only added to his fatherly look. He had been welcoming without being creepy and was genuinely impressed at Poppy’s resume and her grades. He offered her the job on the spot and she vowed she wouldn’t let him down.

“Of course, Gil. We’ll be right out.” Poppy responded with a soft smile. Turning back to Erdene, she took one stabilizing deep breath and walked after Gil. As she stepped through the office doors, her eyes met amber ones immediately.

_

_Ah, fuck me. I missed those eyes. Those rose petal lips. Her cute fuckin cheeks._ The sight of her knocked the wind out of his lungs. He hoped she hadn’t noticed he wasn’t breathing anymore. He took her in, her tall, black heels he wanted walking all over his chest, her thick thighs filling her skirt, and her breasts pressing against her blouse. Finally, he met her eyes and every muscle he spent years forcing into submission at the gym stiffened under her gaze. His heart thud in his ears, something that hadn’t happened in years. _She’s gotten to me. Three days without her and I’ve almost killed three men just for breathing too close to me. I haven’t stopped thinking about her for three days straight. She’s fucking turned me into a soft bastard._

Quincey had outlined how his day would go so Tora knew where he would be driving to and when. He hated how needy Quincey was, but he admired how detail-oriented the princess could be when it came to his author life. Tora mentioned he needed to take a lunch break, something he never asked for. Quincey paused as he took a second to register what Tora had asked for. Well, he didn’t ask. He told. Tora almost cracked a smile at the sight of Quincey reflecting for the first time in three days, since he last saw Poppy. They drove to Giant Goldfish in silence. Quincey wore a black turtleneck sweater, deep navy blazer, matching navy chinos with thin, white checkered stripes, and white dress sneakers. Tora opted for an army green bomber jacket, cream sweatshirt, and black jeans with black sneakers. _He’s dressed up. He never dresses like this to drive me around. I knew she was his type._ Quincey smirked at the sight of him.

Now that they were in the office, Gil had extended his hand to Quincey, grabbing the other man’s hand with both of his in a firm shake. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Noyouko!”

“Oh, please, call me Quincey.” Quincey gave the man’s hand one firm shake. “Poppy! How’d you like the chapters?” Snapping her out of her staredown with Tora, she whipped her eyes to him. She changed instantly, assuming her Business Poppy persona.

“Quincey, I thoroughly enjoyed them. This is Erdene, she’s one of our senior editors here.” She stepped aside and Erdene shook Quincey’s hand. For the first time in her life, the woman was silent. Eyeing her friend, she said, “Come, we have much to talk about.” Quincey barely tore his eyes from the tall blonde before him, his eye glinting like the silver cross in his ear as his head swiveled to keep his eyes glued to her while he followed behind Poppy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I've been tunnel visioned onto Tora and Poppy but let's show Quincey and Erdene some love. Idk if I ship them yet so we'll see where this goes. Don't hate me for it, but I'm a fan of the idea of them at least experimenting with the idea of them working. Stay tuned to see where they go. Even I don't know!


End file.
